Ubiquitous computing is the method of enhancing computer use by making computers available throughout the physical environment, but making them effectively invisible to the user. This may be done by incorporating unassuming computer devices within the facets of everyday life.
Facets of everyday life may include activities involving portable electronic devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) or cellular phones. These types of devices are used frequently in the home or other areas such as an office building. Portable electronic devices such as PDAs and tablet-type PCs are increasingly being made available with wireless communication links that allow the user to access the Internet or other local connected devices. Since all of these devices are portable, they contain batteries that must be re-charged periodically. PDAs and Web-pads typically include a dock or cradle that provides a communication hardware link to a PC and also provides charging. The cradles must be plugged into an AC outlet for the charging function to occur. As these types of portable computing devices proliferate, adding multiple cradles at various locations around a facility would provide more ubiquitous access to charging. However, the need to plug each cradle into an AC power outlet limits the location of the cradles to the location of AC outlets, and increases the amount of exposed AC wiring. For homes in particular, excess exposed AC wires are inconvenient, unsightly, and dangerous.
Therefore, what is needed is a system or method to incorporate these portable electronic devices in locations around the home or other buildings that are convenient and relatively invisible to the user. In addition, what is needed are new devices, conveniently located around a home or other building that serve to provide the same type of uses to a user as a PDA or computer, but are effectively invisible and convenient to the user. Finally, what is needed is a ubiquitously located device for recharging web-pads and PDAs without exposed AC power wires.